


So It Is In The Darkness

by nephrae



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, F/M, Shameless Smut, Smut, Vampire Sex, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2018-09-19
Packaged: 2019-07-11 17:04:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15976676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nephrae/pseuds/nephrae
Summary: Attacked by a creature of the night, Ellana Lavellan finds herself in a terrifying and impossible situation. Bleeding to death in an alley alone, she's given a second chance at life by a man only thought to be legend. Modern/Vampire AU.





	1. Blood, Sweat, Tears

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based off of an insanely old one I started for Sailor Moon, but never finished. The idea returned to me the other day, and I really wanted to pen it to paper for Solavellan, so here we go. I haven't abandoned Trespasser In Another World, it will still receive regular updates.
> 
> Rated E for explicit descriptions of blood, violence, and sex.

Her feet pounded on the hard concrete below her, breath struggling to escape her heaving chest.

_Breathe._

Hair billowed behind her and caught on a pointed ear as she ran, legs stretching as far and as fast as they would take her.

_Don’t stop, not even for a second. Keep running!_

Her chest was burning, desperately needing to suck in more air than her swift-footed escape would allow her.

_Damn it, Lavellan,_ she thought, _Breathe!_

Her lungs were contracting, constricting her breath, barely able to breathe at all. She struggled for an intake of air as tears welled about her eyes.

_Creators, guide my steps_ ...she prayed to herself as she choked back a sob. She couldn’t afford to fall apart now. Not with that creature chasing her. One false step and it would be all over, she knew. _What in the blazes is that thing?!_

At first the fear had just been a small churning in her stomach when she felt eyes watching her, following her every movement. Her languid walk home from work had turned into a brisk pace when she heard the footsteps trailing behind her.

She’d heard the growl before she felt it - the wash of malice and malevolence pouring into her from the one who stalked her. The aura of evil settling over her like a dark cloud. Fear had flooded her veins then, her chest, her mind. When she had finally realized the danger she was in, when her limbs finally wanted to cooperate, she’d picked up her pace from a brisk walk to a full run.

She dashed down the sidewalk, pushing her body to run as fast as physically able, darting down alleys and streets as if she was made of wind itself.

She realized in her panic she’d gotten turned around and the tall buildings looming overhead were unfamiliar to her. She had no idea where she was running to. She just needed to get away from the monster so close on her heels. She could feel its fingers brush the back of her shirt.

_Come on, Ellana! RUN!_

Ellana was suddenly very grateful for her days on the track and field team during college. Her calves were on fire, her chest burning, eyes watering. Her legs were turning to rubber and starting to give, her energy depleting.

She couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop. Had to keep moving. They were the hunter and she the prey. Her feet kept thumping upon the hard street below her. The dark shadow of her pursuer stretched along the sidewalk ahead of her. It was closing in. _No!_

In a wild attempt to lose the beast hunting her, she turned into a dark alleyway, her eyes struggling in the effort to adjust to the darkness pouring from every shadow.

Desperately hoping she’d lost it, Ellana chanced a glance over a shoulder. A chance she should not have taken. She was knocked from her feet with the strength of ten men, the little breath she had taken right out of her from the force of it. The tears she’d been holding back fell and dripped onto the ground. Feral images of what was going to happen to her flew through her mind as she tried to retain some semblance of control over herself. She would not lose herself to fear.

She pushed back against the weight on her back but strong fingers dug into her shoulder blades and her face was pushed into the dirty cement. A glass bottle had been smashed on the ground nearby and small shards of it ground into her cheek. The smell of garbage and filth from the nearby dumpster filled her nostrils.

“Let me go, you filthy whorespawn!” she sobbed, wildly gulping in breaths of air.

The creature’s face nuzzled her ear with a rumbling growl. The repulsive smell of its breath made her gag, the scent of rot and death filling her senses. She didn’t dare turn her head to look at it, but the sight of it in her peripheral vision alarmed her. The visage of the man crouching over her was enough to force a cry from her throat. This was no normal man, it’s animalistic movements and snarl made her think otherwise.

Fear was overtaking her, numbing her body with a deep set chill. She wished she had the courage to yell, to scream for help, to have the strength to lift her head out of the creatures hold and make a run for the street not far behind.

Teeth flashed in the corner of her vision and scraped along her neck slowly. It was playing with her. Unable to control her cries any longer, she caught the sob escaping her throat and threw all of her strength into trying to toss it off of her. It wasn’t enough.

Alarmingly long nails dug into her shoulders and she cried out in pain as they pricked into her skin. She could feel its hot breath on her neck, the trail of stinking saliva that it left as it tasted her flesh.

Horror was filling her emotions and wrapping around her spine. She trembled with the adrenaline that she wanted to use to throw off this barbaric creature but she couldn’t budge below its unnatural strength.

Then it happened.

Sharp teeth plunged into her neck and she released a shriek of pain as blood splattered into her hair and face, across her vallaslin, and around the pavement. The searing pain was more than she could handle and tears streamed down her face. She’d never felt anything as repulsive and invasive as its teeth in her neck.

The creature slurped and drank greedily, sucking the blood straight from her neck as it poured from the wound. Drip by drip it drank, relishing in the metallic taste that only a monster could enjoy. She could feel the blood being drawn and pulled from her unwillingly, pouring into its mouth like a delectable treat. The night had become impossibly quiet as she lay there helplessly, her whimpers becoming more and more faint. The sickly sound of it feeding filled her ears.

Ellana no longer had the strength to cry out as her body fell into a state of paralysis. She fell quiet, her breath slowing, and the world went hazy around her. She could no longer make out the shapes of the nearby garbage bags and dumpsters, or even the pattern of the concrete below. Nauseating dizziness overtook her as the monster drained her of life.

_Someone...help…_

Almost as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The monster pulled its teeth from her neck and stood in an upright position, a leg on either side of her. A deep sigh of satisfaction escaped its lips.

Then it fled, leaving her for dead. Blood dripped from the gaping wound in her neck.

Using the last of the strength she could muster, she turned her body so she laid on her back, blood pooling beneath her and into clothes, sticking to her hair. The spark of life had left her eyes, skin pallid with the hue only the dead have.

_Why...Why didn’t he just kill me...instead of...letting me suffer?_

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, struggling to keep her eyes open. She no longer had the strength or will to rise to her feet and get help. No one would ever find her here, she would die alone. Bleeding to death in a dark alley ripe with decay.

Why did she insist to Sera that she could walk home alone, that it was only a short distance to her apartment? Horrendous monsters aside, walking alone through the Denerim streets was a risk a woman should not take. Gangs, rapists, and thieves lurked around every corner this time of night. Dozens of questions left unanswered zipped through her dulling mind as she struggled to stay awake. Her eyelids were so heavy. _No one will ever find me here..._

Approaching footsteps willed her to open her eyes and look up, to see the starry night sky one last time before she sunk into darkness forever. Through half-lidded eyes, she hadn’t expected to see stormy grey-blue eyes of a man staring down at her. His eyes penetrated straight through her and into her soul. Her vision was so blurry, so foggy, the figure crouching down beside her was hazy at best. His eyes pierced out of the darkness, a luminous blue fluttering around the pupils.

“I am sorry I was not here earlier, vhenan,” he gasped.

He placed a hand under head neck and pulled her into a sitting position. She flinched in response, a whimper catching in her throat. _What could this man possibly want from a dying woman?_

“Who…?” she croaked near inaudibly.

“Shh…” the man whispered, placing a cold finger upon her deathly-blue lips.

While the man supported the dying young woman in one strong arm, he brought his other up to his mouth, biting into the flesh of his wrist. After drawing blood, he pressed his wrist to her mouth, tipping it to drip across her lips. He silently begged her to take what he was offering.

She felt the warm liquid being pressed to her lips and she drowsily replied by parting her lips. Her eyes were falling shut again and she couldn’t will them to stay open. She couldn’t feel her arms anymore. What she did not expect, however, was the metallic taste of the fluid dripping into her mouth, realizing it was blood. Repulsed by his gesture she made to move her head to the side but found that she couldn’t. Fear and loss of blood had left her paralyzed and unable to move, so she did the only thing she could and drank what he offered.

Her lips closed around the self-inflicted wound and drank from his bleeding wrist, draining him as best she could with the little strength she had left, her mind focused on that vital source.

The light around her began to strengthen, until all she could see were his swirling blue eyes gazing down at her, anchoring her to this plane. Light permeated into her vision, swelling around everything, blinding her to everything else around her. The blood he gave her rushed into her belly like a blazing inferno.

Her hands flew up to his arm and held his wrist tightly to her as she drank, her eyes never leaving his. His eyes were flashing with blue, his gaze heavy with pleasure.  

It was then that she noticed it, the dull thumping she heard in the back of her head. She concentrated, and a second thumping joined it like a steady double-bass drum beat, and it dawned on her that she was hearing his heartbeat syncing with her own. It throbbed in her temples, in her veins.  She drank greedily, the fluid pouring from his wrist tasting like chocolate to her.

Then suddenly he pulled his wrist from her mouth, ripping it from her grasp, and she gave a whimper of displeasure. She wanted _more_. He fell back, breathing heavily, and she watched as the wound on his wrist closed on its own.

His sharp teeth glistened in the moonlight. “That is enough, vhenan,” he whispered quietly. He stood slowly, towering over her.

Her breath slowly returned to her, and she realized she was now sitting upright on her own. She pulled her knees to her chest and struggled to bring herself to her feet, stumbling. She was nauseous, so very nauseous. Her belly was burning with fire, her veins lighting with it as it spread into her like wildfire. The light had dimmed away completely, the thumping fading to the single beating of her own heart. The world was spinning around her, vision blurry beyond control.

She felt drugged, felt like her spirit was leaving her body to soar up into the sky, when suddenly it ended. Her head flew back and she screamed, the inferno in her veins lighting her up until it was more than she could bear. Pain seared through every cell of her body, unlike anything she had ever felt before. Not even the coldest water could simmer the boiling of her blood - their blood, fusing and mixing together.

Just as it became too much for her to handle, the world faded to blackness and she fell helplessly into his arms.

 

* * *

 

 Ellana slowly came back to consciousness, pain paralyzing every inch of her body. Cold sweat gripped her and nausea overwhelmed her. She retched, blood and vomit spilling from her lips. Her body was being torn apart, cells ripping and pulling against each other as they reshaped her into something new. Her hand flew to the edge of the porcelain tub she was in, hand gripping into it so strongly that it cracked and crumbled in her hand.

Her eyes rolled into her head and she gulped for air. Her lungs were not cooperating, feeling like they were full of sand. A desert was blooming in her mouth while the rest of her trickled with sweat and gods know what else.

She felt a hand soothing her forehead with a cool cloth while it wiped away the sweat and grime. She whimpered as her body convulsed and relaxed over and over again. A deep voice was whispering soothing words into her ear.

Her clothes were sticky with blood and sweat, clinging to her clammy body like a second skin. Every inch of her that was covered or touched by something felt like acid on her skin and she clawed at the tatters of her garments, trying to tear them off. Her fingers were stiff and rigid, she couldn’t breathe. She needed out, needed air, needed something, anything, to take the pain away.

A ragged scream tore from her lips as agony tore through her, wracking her body with unnatural spasms. She felt slender, strong fingers pull her clothing from her fingers and pushing her into a sitting position. Her shirt was pulled over her head as she gasped for breath, and the rest of her clothing followed suit before she was gently eased back down against the back of the tub.

Cool water was poured over her face and back into her hair as the man’s fingers worked the dried blood from her hair. The slight tug on her scalp was torment and her back arched up and off the surface of the tub, bearing her nudity up towards him, a cry of utter distress leaving her chapped lips. His hands gently eased her back down, whispering more words of comfort to her.

She flailed about wildly, desperately attempting to grab onto something, anything, to anchor her back to the earth. His hand found hers and she gripped it tight enough to break it, but he didn’t flinch.

“Vhenan,” he said softly, “Ellana, look at me.”

She struggled to turn her head and stared into the grey-blue eyes staring back at her warmly. “What --” she gasped.

“Shh, vhenan, you are safe here. Only a little longer now.”

The seconds turned into minutes, then hours, days, and time became meaningless to her, as she went in and out of consciousness, each waking an agonizing existence. Her body was changing, she could feel it.

 

* * *

 

 She had no sense of how much time had passed when she finally came to a peaceful consciousness, pain no longer wracking her body with every second. _It’s over. This is it. This must be death._ Although her eyes remained closed, millions of colours danced under her eyelids. Black turned to blue, then green, yellow, red. She wondered what was the point of such a beautiful visual display when she was dead. What did it matter anymore. _I wonder if any one will miss me_ , she thought.

Was this the after life? Did such a thing even exist? Ellana had never been a firm believer of religion but was now suddenly wishing she had been. What comes after this? Watching colours pass by her eyes in a void of darkness wasn’t enough, she needed something more.

Her memories were clouded. How had she come to be here? What had happened to her? She chased after fragments, clinging to them desperately in an attempt to remember something. Stormy eyes filled her recollection, the colour of them unforgettable and forever branded into her mind. She frantically tried to remember anything that had happened to her, her head aching with the attempt.

More quickly than she was ready for, her panic manifested itself into a series of images too fast for any mortal eye to see. Flashes of teeth, blood, and unbearable pain flooded into her memory.

Ellana’s eyes flew open as she shot up into a sitting position, clutching the silk sheets beneath her, chest heaving for breath. She remembered it all now. Was it a dream? Had it really happened? Maybe it had been a very horrible, horrible nightmare. Nightmares don’t usually bite like that, however.

Her hand flew to her neck and felt for the wound, but there was none. Only the smooth expanse of her skin as she tenderly felt around for _anything_ . Trembling she lowered her hand to her chest and felt her heart beating like a semi-automatic gun. It was hammering in her chest. What was going on here? The memory was so fresh in her mind that it easily could have happened seconds ago. _This is all too strange_ , she thought.

She laid back down into the plush cushioning of the bed, trying to calm her racing heart, and wondered where she was. The silky black sheets and heavy curtains closing around the bed were unfamiliar to her. Her hands traced over the smoothness of the bedding, able to feel every thread and weave under her finger tips.

_Maybe if I close my eyes and go to sleep, this will all have been a dream when I wake,_ she thought. Closing her eyes, she rendered herself into a state of total relaxation, but she could not quiet her mind enough to fall asleep. It would not let her. Her mind was filling with the voices of many, as if they whispered directly into her ears.

Ellana bolted back upright, pillows tumbling around her. Eyes wide, she glanced around trying to pinpoint the location of the voices but could find none.

_‘Don’t be a fool, Abelas,’_

_‘They’ll never notice if I….’_

_‘The ser will be angry if I don’t…’_

The voices seemed to be coming from all directions at once, and she slammed her hands over her ears in an attempt to quiet it. She was hearing things, had to be. However, the more she concentrated on picking out the voices the more clear and concise they became. She could hear bits and pieces of conversation, some louder than others.

_‘I wonder if I should tell her there’s something in her teeth,’_

The longer she listened, the more light-headed and bewildered she became. A shudder passed through her and her stomach growled, a feeling of great need glancing through her, however short-lived it was. It was the same dizzying feeling she’d had as she’d drunk from the mysterious man’s wrist.

She stilled and her hands dropped to her sides. She had drunken blood, a man’s blood. Real blood, and she’d liked it. Loved it even. Craved it. She shook her head as if to dismiss the thought, not wanting to think of that right now. Too many different scents were assaulting her senses. She needed to find out what happening to her.  

She could smell the detergent on the freshly laundered bed linens, the muskiness of the old velvet hanging around the bed. The strongest of the scents, however, was coming from somewhere very close, beyond the safety of the curtains. Leather and spices, mixed with the undeniable musk of a man hit her like an aphrodisiac. She felt giddy and held her head in her hands, long tresses of hair falling over her shoulder to tickle her forearms.

The darkness around her was making her nervous, she didn’t like being unable to see. She lifted her head and her elven eyes attempted to adjust to the darkness. She paused. Her eyes flit around apprehensively, and she backed up against the head of the bed. She looked around, assessing the environment with sparkling eyes. Every fold, every thread of the heavy curtains that were blocking out any light, was visible to her eye. Even with the improved sight of an elf, that normally would not have been possible in such low lighting.

She didn’t understand what was happening to her. Her senses had been multiplied tenfold.

She ran her fingers over the silkiness of the sheets again and marvelled at the intricate feel of it. She slowly brought her hands to her face to study them and gasped at their ghostly appearance. Her once sun-kissed skin was now as pale as a halla’s fur, nearly glowing in the darkness enveloping her.

Her mind raced, reaching for any sort of conclusion. She wondered again if she was dead, but figured that likely was not the case considering she was fully conscious and had a strong heartbeat. Thinking maybe it was a dream, she pinched her leg and yelped. _Nope, definitely awake_.

A deep chuckle pulled her back from her thoughts, and she froze. Someone else was in the room, and rolled her eyes at herself. _Of course there’s someone here, Ellana. You can smell them_.

Slowly kneeling, she crawled forward to the edge of the bed and drew back the heavy curtains of the canopy. Sitting in the most opulent velvet armchair she had ever seen, was the man who’d brought her here. The man with the grey-blue eyes.

The chair was turned to face her, and she stared at him in shock. Mouth hanging open slightly, she found herself to be mesmerized by his eyes. A light ring of vibrant blue seemed to glow around inner edge of the iris, an unnatural light not common to the living.

The recollection of those eyes hanging over her hung in the back of her mind he regarded her. His scalp was hairless and smooth, long pointed ears much like her own framing his face. A smirk played on his lips, and she couldn’t draw her gaze from the dimple of his chin. A light smattering of freckles spotted his pale skin.

He had one leg crossed over the other, elbows resting on the armrests of the chair, his hands steepled in front of him. He was impeccably well dressed. A fitted black silk suit jacket clung to his arms in a flattering manner, unbuttoned to reveal a dark green brocade vest. Slim back pants ran down the length of his legs. Her gaze lowered from his chin to the top few buttons of the black dress shirt he had unbuttoned.

Her cheeks flushed lightly as she wondered if the freckles followed down his chest as well, wanting to get a better look. The proportions of his face were very typical to most elves, though the bridge of his nose was slightly broader and flatter than most, his ears longer and more pointed. He painted a perfect picture of what the ancient elves were thought to be.

He had spoken to her, yet the words had not registered.

_It wasn’t a dream_ , she thought.

His smirk widened. “No, it was not.”

Ellana squeaked childishly and blushed, a rosy red encompassing her pale cheeks. Creators, was that smirk ever sexy. Reassuring whispers resurfaced to her memory, comforting words that he’d whispered in her ear. The blush rose up to her ears. She was embarrassed with herself. She didn’t normally swoon over men so easily, but something about him was so achingly familiar and irresistible. She couldn’t place it.

She slipped off the bed and stood firmly before him, the lacey shift she was wearing tumbling down to her thighs as she rose. She paused only for a second to realize she hadn’t been wearing the shift before, and that she hadn’t dressed herself in it. She put it aside and frowned, quickly becoming in danger of losing her temper.

“Where am I?” she asked him. “Who are you? What happened? Am I dead, is this a dream?” She paused to catch her breath then continued, “What did you _do_ to me!?” she shouted. Her voice rose to a glass-shattering volume as anger and confusion poured from her, and she winced. She had not intended to raise her voice but the anger had swept down on her so quickly that she couldn’t stop it.

The man rose from his chair in a graceful manner and hushed her by placing a cold finger upon her lips.

Any modicum of anger she still felt drained from her at his touch.

“You’re so cold…” she said softly. It was unnatural how cold he was.

“Yes, as are you,” he replied, and took one of her hands in his own. Gently, as if not to break her, he placed it on his face, then on her own to compare. He was right. Her skin was frigid with the coldness that only came with death. No warmth at all.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, such a soothing feeling. All tension left her body and she relaxed beneath his calming touch, her eyes getting lost in his. _This isn’t right, I don’t know this man..._ she weakly thought to herself.

Having suddenly realized what he was doing, he drew away quickly. His sudden lack of presence made her frown.

A few moments of silence passed between them as they gazed upon each other. His eyes were eating her alive, appreciatively passing over her face and down to her chest where the small shift did little to cover her. He clasped his hands behind his back as his smirk returned.

She stared down at her hands. Her body had changed, that much was obvious, though into what she had no idea. The fear that had been gripping the back of her mind was slowly peeling away like the skin of an orange. This man had a calming aura.

“I am Solas, if there is to be introductions,” he suddenly said.

She blinked and looked back up at him. Solas...his name was so familiar to her. Realization dawned on her as the memory flooded back to her mind as if it had happened moments ago. Sera had been doing a research paper on supernatural beings for one of her college courses. The topic had made Sera extremely uncomfortable on multiple levels, thinking most of it to be total ‘horse shite’, as she’d put it. Giving into curiosity herself, she’d picked up one of the books on Vampirism and read on its history. His name had been in that book. Solas had been one of the Evanuris, the most powerful vampires to have ever existed, or so it said, anyway. Solas, also known as Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf. The rebel amongst the oldest of them.

She swallowed and took a step back from him, the backs of her legs pressing against the bed. Everything was making sense. The heightened senses, the churning feeling in her stomach that was telling her to _feed_. The horrendous creature that had attacked her, then the blur that had come afterward.

“Fen'Harel ma ghilana…” she whispered. “You’re Fen'Harel. You’re the Dread Wolf.” She was dizzy with epiphany.

He smiled at her sadly and bowed his head slightly, as if declaring to the truth of it.

“Yes,” he replied. “Though I was Solas first. Fen'Harel came later. An insult I took as a badge of pride. The Dread Wolf inspired hope in my friends and fear in my enemies…”

She almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing. If she had not been there, had seen it with her own eyes, it would all seem like a silly tale. However, she knew it to be true, now.

“You warred with them for centuries. That’s what the legends say,” she said.

“And now you know it to be true. What is the old Dalish curse? May the Dread Wolf take you?”

She sighed as she gazed into his eyes. There was such loneliness there.

“I’ve read the stories in books. Are they true?”

He nodded, and lifted a hand as if to touch her, but dropped it back to his side.

“I sought to set mortals free from slavery to maddened creatures. I broke the chains of all who wished to join me. The Evanuris called me Fen-Harel, and when they finally went too far, I locked them away and banished them forever.”

“You said that they went too far. What did they do that made you move against them?” she asked, curiosity piqued. No one in living memory had ever encountered one of these ancient vampires, all stories were myth and legend rejected by most other people. She wouldn’t squander the chance to learn more of the truth from him.

His sad smile slipped back into place. “They killed the woman I loved most dearly,” he said, a small chuckle following it. “A crime for which an eternity of torment is the only fitting punishment.”

“The woman you loved? Was she also one of the Evanuris?”

“No, though she was like me. She cared for mortals, she protected them. She was the voice of reason. And in their lust for power and control over me, they killed her.”

Ellana shifted uncomfortably, hunger and unease gritting in her stomach. “So you locked them away? You didn’t kill them?”

“The most ancient of us do not die so easily. The Evanuris are banished forever, paying the ultimate price for their misdeeds.”

“I see,” she said, silence falling over them once more. She perched herself on the edge of the bed.

“So am I like you now, then? A vampire?” she asked him quietly, staring down at her hands.

“It was not what I wanted for you, vhenan, but I was left with little other choice.”

She glanced up at him. “You called me that before. What do you mean you had little other choice? Were you following me?”

He faltered, that took but a moment to recover, a stoic mask falling over his face. “That is a story for another day,” he said.

“I would like to hear it now,” she snapped. She massaged her temple with her hand.

“Another day, I beg of you.”

She pulled a deep breath through her nose and exhaled with annoyance. She looked back to him and nodded.

“Come,” he said, and lifted her to her feet, pulling her over to a large, elegant mirror hanging on a nearby wall.

Her breath caught in her throat as she caught her reflection in the glass. Her hair was cascading down around her shoulders in shiny waves, more healthy looking than she’d ever seen it before. She pulled a strand of it through her fingers and marvelled at the softness of it. If she didn’t know any better, it looked like it was several inches longer than it had been before.

She gave an inquisitive look to his reflection standing behind her. “How long have I been here?” she asked.

“Three nights.”

She stared back down at her, bewildered, and he laughed. She caught his gaze in the mirror, his cheek dimpling from the laughter. He was so very handsome when he smiled. His hands rested on her shoulders as the hair spilled from her fingers and she resumed her self-inspection. Her skin was smooth and flawless, any and all scars she’d once had faded and invisible, as if they had never been there at all. The light spackling of freckles still graced her shoulders, now a dark contrast to the paleness of her skin. There was no trace of the mangled bite on her neck.

She leaned in closer, her mouth falling open as she looked into her own eyes. Though the same colour as before, they seemed almost brighter, more vibrant; a luminous glowing around the inner iris lighting them up. Her vallaslin was gone, her bare face staring back at her. A finger traced where it had once been.

She first hesitated, but then drew back her upper lip with a finger to reveal a pair of elongated canine teeth. She ran her tongue over one and then pricked her finger on it, a pool of blood forming on the place where she’d been pricked. They would easily break through skin or draw blood. Hunger gnawed at her belly, and she wondered if she would need to kill innocent people to sustain her own life. The thought of it made her feel nauseous.

She took a step back away from the mirror, accidentally closing the distance between her and Solas so that she was pressed back against his chest. His hands drifted down to her biceps and squeezed gently. Her own appearance made her anxious. She slowly raised her hands to study them, turning them over so they were palm down. Her fingernails were like glass, almost liquefied, a solid lacquer.

She chanced a glance at Solas in the mirror and found he was gazing at her intensely. She swallowed and spoke softly, her melodic accent ringing in the room about them. “If you are one of the Evanuris, Solas, then what does that make me?”

He smiled deliciously and lowered his head to a pointed ear to whisper into it, “My paramour, if you wish it to be so.”

Ellana was speechless. As little as she knew about the man, it didn’t seem to bother her overmuch. Something about him was still painfully familiar and she couldn’t place her finger on what. She felt comfortable and at ease in his embrace, like she belonged there. He was a beautiful creature, so tortuously exquisite that he didn’t even seem real, like a statue. Ageless.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his breath on her neck. Her head tilted back and rested on his shoulder, face tilted away from him. She was offering him something she didn’t even understand, but she didn’t care. She longed to feel him penetrate her soft neck.

He spoke softly, bring her out of her daze, “You are the most beautiful creature I have laid my eyes upon, in my long life.” He paused and smiled. “Ma ane ir ina'lan'ehn,” he whispered.

Ellana blushed and looked at her feet, downright flattered. Did he realize the kind of effect he was having on her? He did not seem like the kind of man who was unaware of the effect his presence would have on people.

Slowly, she turned from the mirror and faced him, looking him in the eye. She could stare in those stormy eyes an eternity. She had more questions that needed to be answered, however.

“To be clear, you’re a...vampire?” she asked him, a thick lump forming in her throat. His hands were still resting on her arms.

“Yes,” he stated simply.

Ellana shook her head, already knowing it was true. She felt as if her mind was going in circles, completely unable to accept the reality of her situation. She'd been gone for three days. Surely her friends would be worried about her by now. She had no immediate family to worry of, but she hoped her friends at least would have noticed her absence.

Tears welled in her eyes, doubt clouding her judgement. What if they hadn’t noticed? What if no one had gone looking for her? She fought silently to keep her tears back, choking back a sob. Her life had been taken from her, thrust into a new one she wasn't sure she completely understood yet. Perhaps she never would. Would she be forever trapped to the light of the moon, unable to see the sun again? The night would be her hunting ground from here forward.

His hands trailed up and down her arms in a calming fashion. “Your questions will be answered in time, vhenan. You will not be able to walk in the light of the sun, as you fear. You will have to leave behind the life you lived before.”

She locked eyes with his and raised a brow. “How…?” She gave him a puzzled look. It was as if he was reading her thoughts like an open book.

“Your mind is laid open, for anyone who wishes it, to read,” he said. “I will teach you how to close your mind.” His hands trailed down and took her petite hands in his larger ones. “There is no need to be afraid. No harm will come to you here. Your emotions and senses are heightened, but in time you will have the skill to control them effortlessly.”

He was watching her with fascination, watching the rise and fall of her chest become steady as he patiently waited for her to calm. When she was once again at peace, he spoke to her softly, “You would have died had I left you there. I could now allow it.”

She looked to him quizzically.

“Another of our kind, a Feral, fed from you. Left you for dead, which we are never to do. You must leave the mortal with a chance for life.”

He paused and swallowed. “I came upon you perchance, gave you the blood you need to live, eternally. As an immortal.”

Ellana narrowed her eyes, highly doubting that he had been there by chance. It had been all to convenient. She’d bet a nug’s arse that he had been watching her.

He smirked at her, a fang glinting in the light. “You were unconscious for three days while you changed.”

Doubt aside, she was astonished. He had saved her life and she could not be any more grateful. He had given her a gift, another chance to live. She would not waste this opportunity, this second chance.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

He gazed at her with his grey-blue eyes. “Whatever for?” he asked in musically poetic voice.

“For saving me. If it weren’t for you, I would be dead.”

Solas nodded and raised a hand to caress her cheek with the back of a finger. She sighed and leaned into the touch. She didn’t bother giving him her name, since he already seemed to know it. Her stomach was swirling with near unrestrained hunger now and she whimpered, holding a hand over her abdomen.

“Are you hungry?” he asked her.

She was ravenous. More hungry than she had been for anything before in her life. Her belly burned, and her veins were lighting with an uncomfortable ache she couldn’t place. She doubted a cheeseburger would quell this hunger raging up inside of her. Her fingers were tingling with the feeling of it. She could smell the scent of his flesh, blood flowing through veins. It _called_ to her. A flash of exasperation passed through her, and her gaze wandered to the vein of his neck. The feeling was getting more and more intense with each passing second, growing more weary by the minute. It was peculiar how she had been able to ignore it before. However, now that the hunger was the only thing consuming her thought, she did not think she would be able to stop until she was satiated.

She groaned when she thought of the implications of what she must do. The primal instinct coiling around in her to feed was overwhelming, but she didn’t think she would be able to bring herself to hurting an innocent person. It disgusted her, filled her with shame. Would she need to live the rest of eternity feeling like this?

Solas observed her tenseness and tilted her chin to make her look at him.

“The first weeks are always the worst, but it will pass.” He took her hand in his once again, and twirled her around in one swift movement. He lead her to the door of the room.

“Come,” he said. “It’s time for you to feed.”

Ellana stared at Solas with apprehension as he lead her through the door. _What have I gotten myself into?_


	2. Give Me Something More

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solas and Ellana prowl the streets of Denerim.

Solas pushed through the large double doors at the head of the bedroom, opening into a large attached parlour, and Ellana followed him in tentatively. Opulent Orlesian furniture dotted the room in dark rich wood tones. Like the bedroom, the large curving windows were covered by dark heavy curtains, though they were now pulled open to reveal the starry night sky. It was a clear night, she noted. Perfect for stargazing.

A large carved desk sat in one corner of the room, multiple books and papers stacked neatly atop it. Behind it, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lined the walls in the same wood tones as the furniture. Various knick-knacks and artifacts were littered upon their shelves beside the books, and Ellana took notice to the various items and relics decorating the room, realizing that she was standing in his own personal bedroom. A dark blush flushed upon her pale cheeks at the thought, he had brought her here himself most likely, to a place where he knew she would be safe.

She watched as he strode over to an open archway leading into a large walk-in closet before following him in. His gait was long and elegant, hips sauntering only slightly as he stepped into the room. He turned and waited for her with a quirked eyebrow, tucking his hands into his pockets. She blinked, realizing she was staring, and followed him into the closet, stopping short at the sight of it. All along one side of the closet was a large multitude of expensive women's clothing. Long dresses suited to formal wear, panelled leather jackets, pants, corsets, tops, everything she could ever dream of. Rows of shoes and sparkling jewellery lined rows of shelves. It was if she had walked into a boutique created all for her. She stood there gaping, unable to form words at the enormity of it.

“I took liberties to procure a wardrobe for you, I hope it is to your liking,” he told her.

She could only nod, a short breath exhaling past her lips in response.

He gestured to one of the racks of clothing. “I also sent someone to retrieve your belongings for you. I expected you may want something more…familiar…to you.”

Ellana rushed over to the rack and dove into the articles of clothing, pulling out her favourite t-shirt and taking a deep breath from it. Hanging it back, she dropped to her knees and opened one of the closed boxes, sighing in relief at the sight of the framed photos of her family. Her stuffed fennec fox plush was there as well, the one she’d had since childhood, and one of the only things she still had left of her family. She clutched it to her chest, letting her eyes close with a flutter as memories of her mother washed over her. Her breath hitching in the back of her throat, she eased her eyes open and gently placed the fox back into the box, placing the lid back over it. She would find a place for him to live later.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Truly, you have no idea what this means to me.”

Solas nodded, a kind smile on his face. “Your old life may now be over, but that does not mean that it should be forgotten. Feel free to arrange your things however you like.”

She looked at him questioningly, puzzlement in her eyes. “Whatever do you mean?” she asked him.

Solas shifted his weight and clasped his hands behind his back. “You are entitled to your own room if you like, of course. However, I would very much like it if you stayed here, with me.”

Ellana blinked and leaned towards him, as if she hadn’t quite heard what he said. “You want me to stay here, with you? In your room?”

“I would like that very much, yes.”

She smiled, warmth spreading up her body, a pointed fang showing from under her lip. “I think I would like that too.” She didn’t know why she said it. There was something in the earnest look of his eye that made her trust him explicably. The feeling of familiarity was washing her over at every glance, certainly, but she couldn’t place it. The feeling wasn’t an uneasy recognition however, and she trusted her instincts enough to know that staying here would be the most comfortable place for her. This room was likely also the safest place for her, she surmised, as she had not yet ventured outside the safe confines of the room and was unaware of what dangers could be lurking in the halls beyond. Yes, she would stay here with him.

“Very well. When you are ready, select something nice to wear. It is due time we satiate your growing hunger.”

Solas moved to the frame of the doorway and leaned against it, watching her as she thumbed through the various dresses and outfits hanging for her to choose from. She glanced across to the other row of clothing hanging from the other side. Rows of mens formal wear hung neatly in various dark shades, and judging by the quality of the items, she assumed that he was a man that took great pride in his outwardly appearance. All of the hanging suits or blazers looked like they cost an entire one of her paycheques.

She turned back to the rack of dresses and pulled one out at random. She peeked at Solas over her shoulder, it didn’t look like he was going to budge any time soon. Maybe she could make this a little fun for the both of them then. Turning her back to him, she slowly pushed down the straps of the lacy shift she was wearing. She let it drop to the ground, her face flushing red, and was thankful he could not see it. She was not wearing any undergarments, it seemed.

As the small, lacy shift landed on the floor, she could feel his eyes burning into her back, and her breath quickened. She felt his gaze travel down to her bare behind, and took her time removing the deep wine red dress from its hanger. The intensity of his eyes trailing down her backside sent chills down her spine. She bent and stepped into the dress, not bothering to put on any undergarments. With the way he was staring at her, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to stay on for too long anyhow.

“Can you zip me up?” she asked him, risking a glance over her shoulder at him. His face was near feral, an almost animalistic leer in his eyes that she had never seen before in anyone, and she shuddered. He closed the short distance between them and placed on hand on her waist. With the other, he slowly pulled up the zipper, his finger trailing a path of fire up her spine.

She couldn’t help the small whimper that left her mouth, and a deep chuckle rumbled from his throat. He lead her to the wide floor length mirror at the end of the room and stood behind her as she checked her appearance. The dark, vintage velvet was soft beneath her fingers. Thin straps held the dress over her shoulders, the end of it ending just below the crease where thigh met posterior. She would have to be very careful who she bent over in front of in a dress this short.

“Beautiful,” he whispered in her ear, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders. Her eyes met his in the mirror and she flushed again. He pulled her long hair over one shoulder and stepped back slightly. Gently, his hands threaded into her hair and parted it, deft fingers forming a long Elven-styled braid down one side to sweep over her other shoulder. Her eyes fell shut as the sensation of his hands threading through her hair made her tremble, her knees becoming weak from hunger and excitement. When he was done, she opened her eyes again, marvelling at the exquisite way he’d braided her hair. She had never been able to braid her hair like that, despite watching several tutorials on how do it herself. She wondered where he had learned to do it.

Catching the sight of her bare face in the mirror, a hand rose to her face where her tattoos had been. “What happened to my vallaslin, Solas?” she asked quietly.

“I removed them,” he breathed into her neck.

Her eyes widened. “Why?”

“They are slave markings, or at least, they were in the ancient times when the Evanuris still walked, unbound.”

Her breath left her and she forgot how to breathe. Slave markings? That couldn’t possibly be true. Her people wore these marks as tribute to the old gods.

He wasn’t looking at her, face buried in her neck. She could feel his breath licking her skin. Perhaps he was ashamed. “The Evanuris would mark their mortal slaves to honour and bind them to their masters. When they were locked away, the Dalish forgot,” he continued.

Ellana looked at her feet, her body flushing with shame and embarrassment. How could her people have forgotten something so intrinsically important? They had been slaves to monsters, as Solas told it. She had no reason to doubt him, he had not given her cause to. If the origin of the vallaslin had been markings of ownership to the Evanuris, the oldest of vampires, did that mean the old gods her people worshipped were nothing more than monsters mistakingly revered as divine beings? There was so much she didn’t know, she was quickly realizing.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

One of her slim fingers traced the path on her cheek where the markings had been. “How did you remove them? They were permanent.”

“I know a spell that was able to remove them painlessly, while you slept.”

Well manicured brows rose in surprise. “A spell? You know magic?” she asked.

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I know many things,” was all he said.

He turned her around and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead before stepping away again, tilting his head as an indication to follow. He selected a pair of black pumps for her on the way out of the closet and handed them to her. She slipped them onto her feet as he opened the grand double doors exiting from the parlour to the hallway.

Solas took her hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow, pulling her along with him as he lead her through the labyrinthine hallways. Large vaulted ceilings reached up above her, wood paneling and deep paints encasing the walls. She’d never seen such detailed architecture up close before. Carvings of wolves and unidentified plant life ran along the top of the walls in the wood paneling. Wolves chasing halla, howling together in unison at an unknown plight, vines wrapping around wounded animals and wolves alike; these were only some of the carvings that she was able to catch a glance of before Solas had lead her away to a large curving staircase. As she studied them they almost seemed to come alive, stalking about in her peripheral vision in a lifelike dance, but when her eyes flickered to the movement nothing was out of place, nothing had changed.

About half way down the stairs, she realized they were not alone. The large sitting room cozied in the centre of the spiralling staircase was full of people, mostly elves like her, but some human as well. They had all stopped at their approach, watching them descend with flashing eyes. It only took her a moment to realize they were all vampires as well, their pale skin and opulent clothing doing nothing to disguise themselves. She couldn’t help but wonder if all vampires were as well-dressed as these ones.

Between the strain of their staring and the lack of sustenance, Ellana was quickly becoming very overwhelmed and anxious. There was so many of them, all of them staring. Some held glasses of thick, viscous liquid, and she could smell it even from where she stood, knowing they were drinking from glasses of blood, the scent of wine lingering in the air about it. The fragrance of it made her toes curl in her shoes, her arms digging into Solas’s arm.

As if sensing her discomfort, he dropped her arm and wound his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in closely. He took the abandoned hand with his other one, tracing circles on the back of her hand. She could feel their minds probing into hers, trying to catch a glimpse of what she might be thinking, tiny whispers echoing in the back of her head.

He bent and whispered into her ear, “Nearly there, ma vhenan. Do not take notice of them, they are of no consequence. They only stare because they do not possess the same beauty and poise that you are lucky enough to have.”

She saw a darker skinned man with a curled moustache scoff and roll his eyes from the corner of her vision. Nodding, she leaned into Solas’s arm as he lead them past the congregation and into a great hallway.

In a matter of moments, he had lead them to a large garage full of various vehicles, many of the expensive variety, though some were not. He opened the passenger door of a very expensive looking sports car, and waited for her to get in. She slipped into the leather seat and before long, he was in the drivers seat, and they were on their way.

She was watching him from the corner of her eye. She had so many questions! So many things she wanted to ask. Were all vampires like him? Did they all have such an impeccable taste of luxury? It certainly seemed to be that way.

Solas smirked and gave her a long look before turning back to the road. “What is it you wish to know?” he asked.

She was stunned momentarily, having forgotten that he was most likely reading her thoughts. Settling back in her seat, she crossed a leg over the other and studied him while he drove. Her elbow rested on the centre console between the seats, perching her chin in her hand. He was watching her from the corner of his eye, she could see. She smirked and ran her tongue over a pointed tooth.

“Sunlight?” she asked.

“Will burn you to a crisp, I’m afraid,” he replied.

“Effigies of the Maker? Crosses? Crucifixes?”

“I’m quite fond of crucifixes, actually,” a hint of humour lacing through his voice.

“What about a stake through the heart?”

“Utter poppycock, something a frightened mortal dreamt up to feel more at ease, I imagine.”

“Are we able to be killed at all?” she wondered.

“Indeed, though most modern weapons are not capable of it.” He shifted his grip on the steering wheel and glanced at her. “Sunlight, fire. A well placed knife or sword between the cervical vertebrae will do the trick,” he continued.

Ellana laughed, her hand covering her mouth. “You mean decapitation, I take it?”

His lips tugged into a small smile and nodded. Oh, how delightful his little smiles were. She could watch him smile at her all day. The flash of familiarity rang through her again before it disappeared as quickly as it had come. He lifted a hand to hers and pulled it away from her still grinning face, holding it firmly in his grasp.

“Do not cover your smile, vhenan. It is too beautiful a thing to hide.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” she breathed. Warmth was curling around in her belly, and she didn’t think it was from hunger. Vhenan. Ma vhenan. My heart.

He only gave her a long look, his gaze speaking volumes. Well, then.

The car pulled up in front of ritzy nightclub, and as they got out a valet took Solas’s keys. She turned from the car and soaked in the sight of the large crowd gathered out front. Dozens of humans, elves, and dwarves alike were gathered outside of the booming nightclub, music pounding out onto the street.

She was suddenly very lightheaded and overwhelmed. So many odours, flashing lights, so many people. She could smell them all, hear their hearts beating in their fragile little chests. Solas came around the car as she swooned and caught her before she stumbled. He nuzzled his nose into her pointed ear and she willed herself to take a deep breath. His touch anchored her, and soon he was leading her to the bouncer outside of the entrance. With a few discreet words, they were gifted entrance into the club, bypassing the mile-long line down the street.

Ellana couldn’t help but raise a brow at the comically over-cliche atmosphere of the club. Golden columns stretched up to the ceiling, coloured lights flashed about in a pathetic attempt to lighten the darkness, a glass dance floor centred in the middle of the large space. Men in ridiculous silk shirts and women in too-short dresses ground and pressed up against each other to the beat of the techno with a too-heavy bass track. Solas lead her over to the railing overlooking the sunken-in dance floor.

“Why did you bring me _here_?” she asked him.

He chuckled, sensing her pitying disgust with the place. “Many nefarious sorts hang about places like this, hoping to find a weakness they can exploit. Whether it be drugs, money, or sex. They gather here like moths to a flame.” He turned and looked her in the eye, a maliciousness flickering passed that she hadn’t seen there before. “It makes for a good hunting ground.”

She was happy to find that she was having no difficulty hearing him over the loud booming of the music. She swallowed and gazed out over the sea of writhing bodies. Solas took position behind her again, his hands resting on the balcony on either side of her, effectively trapping her against it.

He leaned in and she could feel the point of his ear brushing against hers, a bolt of lightning shooting down to the exposed place between her legs, suddenly painfully aware she wasn’t wearing any underwear. “Concentrate. Focus your mind and listen to their minds.” One of his hands trailed down the side of her arm. “Find one with pernicious intent, hone in on it. Pinpoint it.”

It was hard to concentrate when he was touching her like that, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. His hand left her arm and trailed down her side to her thigh, pressing his fingers to the inside of it. Her breath hitched in her throat as wetness gathered around her core.

She blinked and tried to ignore his touch as she watched the crowd of people. _Come on Lavellan, you can do this,_ she thought. She did as he said and focused her mind, her gaze flitting from one person to the next, trying to find her prey. Solas’s fingers dipped between her thighs and rose up under her skirt to brush the light dusting of hair around her clitoris.

She swallowed back a moan and felt him smirk against her ear. He was distracting her on purpose now, she knew. The clever man thought he could get the best of her, but she was determined to complete the task at hand. _Focus, Lavellan_. She stared at the dance floor with a renewed purpose, her vision tunnelling as she inspected each of the dancers for malice and ill intent. She found it was coming more easily to her than she thought it would.

His fingers were pressing a feather-light touch to her clit when she found what she was looking for. She nodded her head towards the man. “There,” she said. “A rapist. Hurt a girl only yesterday.”

He chuckled into her ear and released her. “Very good. Now, go to him. It is time for the next step. Lure him in, turn his attention to you alone.”

She whined at the loss of contact between them but nodded. At this very moment, her need to feed was overwhelming her need for his touch. She took the short flight of stairs down to the dance floor and sauntered over to her prey. Her target was a greasy looking man, adorned in a lousy mimic of a silk shirt that was much too large for him.

She stopped only inches away, his eyes already raking over her body. This was going to be _too_ easy. She buried her hands in the fabric of his shirt and swayed to the heavy beat of the music, trying to ignore the sour scent of his cologne assaulting her senses. The man pressed himself up against her with a lascivious grin, grinding his hips up against her in a pathetic attempt at seduction. She was beyond repulsed, but instead played along, turning and pressing her back against him as they danced. Her eyes caught Solas’s where he still stood watching, a stoic expression masking his face. Her eyes never leaving his, she bent slightly at the knees and rocked her hips a little more wildly. She caught her bottom lip with a pointed fang and smirked at him, watching his gaze burning into her more and more as the seconds passed. She wasn’t dancing for the disgusting man behind her any longer, her focus completely focused on the tall, elven man watching her from the raised platform.

His hands were pressed into the railing as he watched her, digging into the cold metal hard enough she could see it cracking and denting under his grip. Her hands trailed down her breast to her thigh as she smirked at him. In a flash, Solas was gone, as if he had never been there. She turned back to the man still wriggling up against her and was surprised to find Solas on the other side of him. Her sire was pressed up tightly against the man between them, and was surprised that he hadn’t noticed. His eyes glinted in the dim light, like a cat. Or more like a wolf, she speculated, stalking and hunting his prey. One of his hands came up to rest on the man’s shoulder, the other reaching over him to caress her cheek. She nuzzled her face into it, her hips still swaying back and forth to the music. If the man between them had taken any notice to Solas, he did not make it known. He may as well have not been there at all. Their prey was pinned between them, and Ellana was thrilled he was making no move to escape, the three of them twisting about in a strange erotic dance.

“Now, da’len, catch his eyes and will him to obey your command. You only need wish it, and he will follow.” His hand dropped from the intimate hold on her neck to the mans other shoulder.

“Yes, _hahren_ ,” she teased. She turned her gaze back to the man between them and grasped the inebriated fool’s chin in her hand. As she stared into his eyes, she saw his pupils flicker and dilate as she forced her will into him. “Do you want to get out of here? Follow me outside,” she said in a low tone.

He nodded slowly, and when she turned for one of the side-exits, she glanced over her shoulder to be sure he was following. The man stumbled and followed her obediently, Solas lurking behind him, sizing him up like a predator would size up prey. They exited the stifling humidity of the club into a dark back alley.

The pride was practically oozing from Solas. She turned and the man was beaming at her from over the drunks shoulder. She had done as instructed without any issue or complication. It had almost been too easy, it came to her so naturally that it nearly frightened her. Almost. She was too hungry to care.

Once they were in the safety of darkness, she couldn’t restrain herself any longer.

“Hey, honey, I don’t — where —”

He was cut off by sharp fangs plunging into his neck, her mouth wrapping greedily around the wound as blood sprayed onto her chest. She allowed herself to succumb to the hunger and her mind filled with nothing but the need to _devour_ . She drank greedily, the sustenance dripping down into her belly and cooling the itching fire that had been burning through her veins. She felt Solas join her on the other side, and they drank from the man together. It slipped down her throat like a delicious syrup and she didn’t think she was going to be able to stop. She needed _more_. She needed all of it.

All too soon, Solas was pulling her away from the man, a long whine escaping her throat as she tried to reattach herself to his neck. “No, vhenan. You cannot kill him. Any more and he will unable to survive.” She was frantic in her need to continue to feeding, her arms scrambling and reaching out in an attempt to grab hold of him as Solas held her away from him. “Ellana!” he barked.

She snapped out of it with a shake of her head, shame filling her head to toe. “I—I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop myself,” she whispered.

Solas held her by both shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. “It’s quite alright, we all feel the hunger. I know as well as any other how overwhelming it can be.

“Morals aside, you must never take the last drop, lest you be pulled into their death with them. I could not bare to watch that.”

Ellana looked down at the blood dripping down her chin and chest, very glad in the colour of dress she had chosen for the night. Solas pulled a large handkerchief from one of his pockets and wiped his own mouth before handing to her to clean up. Solas went and stood beside the man they’d fed from as she wiped herself down, keeping him steady with a hand on the shoulder. He patiently waited for her to finish.

She stepped towards them and raised her brows. “What now?” she asked.

“Now, his job here is done. Tell him to leave, he must not remember what happened here.”

She nodded and connected her eyes to the fool of a man once again, forcing her will into him with little difficulty. She watched as the man’s eyes dilated at the contact. “You will go home. You will not come back here again. You will forget this ever happened, am I clear?”

She watched as the man slowly nodded, his eyes never leaving hers. “Good,” ground out. She grit her teeth together, knowing she couldn’t just let a rapist out on the loose to hurt anyone else. “You will never hurt another person again, never force yourself onto someone else without their consent. Do you understand?”

The man nodded again.

She swallowed down her discomfort. “Go,” she barked. She watched as the man stumbled down the alley and onto the street, turning away from the club and out of sight. She sighed in relief, turning back to Solas. He was staring at her again, watching her with such an intense sense of pride that she couldn’t help but give him a toothy grin.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. His touch was like fire on her cold skin. “Come,” he said. “The night is long and I am sure you are still hungry.”

She nodded vigorously and he laughed and opened the door they had from exited from, disappearing back into the club with Ellana in tow.

 

* * *

 

After a few more hours and many delicious snacks later, Solas was helping Ellana back into the car.

Her head was tilted back against the seat as he got in beside her, her tongue trying to lick up any remaining drops of blood. Her chest heaved with her breath, near delirious with lust. The more she had fed, the more the itching flame of hunger had been replaced by a salacious need to be _filled_. Her vagina was aching with want, her skin flushed with desire. She had not expected this. Her fingers dug into the soft leather of the seat and watched Solas get into the car beside her.

He’d barely gotten the vehicle started when she was on him, her tongue plunging into his mouth. He laughed into her lips and returned the kiss, hands wrapping around her head to bury them in her soft hair. His tongue swirled around hers, and she moaned into his mouth.

Ellana broke the kiss only enough speak. “Why am I so….so….”

Solas nuzzled his face into her hair. “…Stimulated?” he finished. He placed a soft nip on her ear, sending a chill down her spine.

“ _Yes_ , Creators.”

He laughed into her ear before pulling away to put the car into drive. She was practically crawling out of her seat to get to him, she didn’t think she would be able to restrain herself. This burning need to feel him was near as strong as the urge to feed had been. She could feel her arousal dripping and gathering around her bare thighs. She had always been a slightly promiscuous woman, never shy on the topic of sex, but this was beyond any level arousal she had felt before.

He got the car moving before he turned to look at her, the same fiery arousal burning in his eyes, though clearly he had better control of it than she did.

“Quite frequently, after feeding the body will crave and desire a sexual release. The other half of the hunger that must be fed, so to speak.”

Ellana moaned and buried her head in her hands before slamming back in her seat. Even the friction of the seat below her was enough to warrant a whimper from her.

“Try to wait until we return home, my heart. I promise I will give you the release you desire.”

Ellana moaned aloud and bit her lip, catching the corner of his eye with hers. “Promise?”

“Promise.” The tips of his ears were flushed pink. In the back of her mind, she felt there was something he was leaving out, but she paid it no mind. It didn’t matter, not right now. Right now, the only thing that mattered was how much skin he had exposed and it was _not_ enough. He looked incredibly handsome and desirable in his fine-tailored suit, but it was covering too much of him.

Leaning over, she started tugging at the buttons of his vest, and when unable to get them undone in her lust filled haze, she yanked with one hand to rip it open, the buttons popping off, watching to them fall to the car floor. His ear twitched and he gave her a long side-look. She laughed breathlessly at his annoyance and leaned in to press a kiss to his neck. A relieved sigh escaped his lips and his hand moved from the gear shift to to rest on her thigh, the other remaining on the steering wheel as he drove.

Her sharp teeth scraped over his skin as her hand ripped open the front of his dress shirt. Before he could complain about any more buttons, her hand flattened against his chest and felt the smooth expanse of it. His fingers dug into her thigh a little more firmly.

The car pulled into the garage of the estate and she was out of the car faster than you could say ‘Andraste’s holy knickers.’ Solas wasn’t far behind her. They met at the front of the car and his lips were immediately upon her, his hands pulling her as close to him as physically possible. He was trailing kisses and bites down her neck and shoulders, hands painfully tight around her waist.

“Bedroom, now,” she breathed, and she felt him nod in agreement. Hands trailed down from her waist to the softness of her rear and lifted her up into him, and before she knew what was happening, they were in the bedroom, the halls and faces of everyone having blurred past in only a few seconds.

He deposited her onto the large king sized bed and she pulled him into her. Her hands roamed down his back when he leaned in for a kiss, and her lips immediately parted for him. With a small moan his tongue met hers, the metallic taste of blood still lingering in his mouth. Her hips lifted off the bed into him at the velvety taste of it, and she could feel his hard erection pressing into her stomach.

She whimpered into their kiss and tried to push the sleeves of his clothes down his arms. He was still wearing too many clothes. Chuckling, he leaned back onto his knees, and pulled off his suit jacket and vest, tossing them onto the armchair nearby. Ellana sat up to meet him and pushed the sleeves of his shirt down his arms, her tongue licking a trail down his freckled chest, her tongue pausing to swirl around a nipple. A small gasp left his lips. He was so much more muscular under the well fitted suit than she had first thought. He was slender and lean, but taut with muscle that only came with years of training.

He sighed and took her head in his hands, pulling her back up to him for another searing kiss. He tilted her head back and kissed her deeper than she’d ever been kissed before. His tongue was doing wild things in her mouth; brushing the roof of her mouth, curling around her tongue and licking the underside of it. She was turning into putty in his hands, his kiss turning her world inside out and upside down. No one had ever kissed her like that before, a warmth spreading through her extremities that hadn’t been there before.

He lowered her back into the plushness of the bed, his mouth never leaving hers. She bit down on his lower lip and he groaned into her mouth, pulling back to catch the sparkling look in her eye. He smirked and leaned down to catch the tip of her long ear in his teeth, giving it a nip before trailing more bites down her neck. Every touch was an intoxicating whirlwind of electrified sensations on her flesh.

He growled into her neck as he tasted her, and she was sure that he could likely still taste where the blood of their feast had stained her skin. One of his hands wandered down and palmed her petite breast through the fabric of her dress. She bent up into his hand and scraped her nails down the back of his scalp in response, feeling him shudder atop her. A deft finger tweaked her nipple through her dress and she bit back another moan.

She was already so wet. Every spot he touched her was like fire on her skin, a fire that never went out, and she needed him to touch all of her. She needed him to warm her cold skin and touch her, fill her.

His hand drifted lower, trailing up her thigh and under the short skirt of her dress, pulling it up over her hip. She whimpered and pushed her hips towards his hand, needing him more than she had ever needed anything. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she wasn’t certain how much longer she could bear it. Slender fingers teased circles around her clit and Solas groaned breathlessly when finding the wetness between her legs. Sharp teeth scraped along her sensitive collarbone before his finger pressed into her clit. Her back arched clean off the bed as he rolled the sensitive nub between his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips as he watched her.  

Ellana’s nails raked down his bare back, leaving red tracks in the pale skin, before coming around to fumble with the belt of his pants. Chuckling, he sat back from her again and slipped off the bed to undo the belt, popping open the button. Eyes glazed over with lust and hunger watched as he slowly unzipped the pants, his head tilting the smallest amount as he gauged her reaction.

His pants landed on the floor, his black boxer briefs joining them shortly after, and Ellana couldn’t help but stare. He was so hard, precum glistening on the tip as he sauntered back towards her. Before he could settle back on top of her she pounced and threw him back into the bed, pinning him underneath her. Strong, slender thighs straddled his hips and she paused with a gasp when his length pressed against her opening. It was _her_ time to play now.

With a breathless whine she began to grind down against him, the velvety feeling of his rigid member sliding back and forth against the slick folds of her sex nearly too much to bear. His hands slipped under her dress and pulled it up over her head in one fluid motion, his eyes glistening with the need to expose her to him fully.

A long sigh left his lips as his eyes raked over her naked form. He pulled himself into a sitting position and pulled her hips against him, one hand on her back and the other on her hip. His head dipped down and his mouth closed around a pert nipple, swirling his tongue around it. Her chest pressed into him, his arms securely keeping her from falling backwards into the bed as her head fell back. He released her nipple and kissed his way back up to her throat, leaving a trail of saliva back up to her mouth. His lips were ghosting over hers when he pulled her up and lined his cock against her opening. Her tongue darted out to taste his lips before plunging into his mouth as she bucked down against him, sheathing him in her in a single steady movement.

Moans left their mouths in tandem, a guttural groan leaving his throat when she lifted her hips up before sliding down onto his length again, lightning shooting through her at the movement. Strong arms held her close against him, her hands clasped behind his neck, hips bucking and grinding down onto his hardness over and over again. He was filling her, stretching her, giving her exactly what she needed and there was no stopping now, even if she wanted to. His touch was the most divine feast that she so desperately needed and she would not stop until she had had her fill.

One of his hands slipped down and pressed firmly into the softness of her ass, pulling her aching cunt into his cock as hard as he could as they ground into each other. The sensation of him was nothing like she’d ever felt before, a burning, swirling inferno lighting her core and her veins until she was completely alight with fire. She could feel her orgasm building up in her, ready to burst, but even still it wasn’t enough. She needed _more_. Needed to feel him, consume him.

Her teeth grazed against the skin of his neck and Solas shuddered against her, his breath warming against her shoulder, and she could feel his cock twitch inside her. Without understanding what it was she really needed, her tongue darted out and tasted the vein of his neck before her teeth closed around it. Blood poured from his neck and he purred into her shoulder, his face pressed into it as he bucked up into her dripping pussy more fiercely than before.

He was whispering Elvish into her ear as she drank him, “Jutuan ma ir rosas’da’din, ma tel’aman melin.” In her feverish need to consume him, she hadn’t caught most of it but the musical sound of it leaving his lips made every cell of her ache for him.

He tasted so much sweeter than the mortals they had fed on earlier that night, his blood an aphrodisiac she never knew she needed until now. She withdrew from his neck with a gasp and series of trembling sobs as the orgasm building up in her slammed into her with a shockwave, shuddering against him as wave after wave of pleasure rocked through her.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she cursed.

He pressed his forehead into hers, his eyes beaming with utter admiration and desire as she came undone around him. A hand was buried in the mess of her braid to hold her close to him. She had no memory of anyone ever looking at her like that before, never seen such astounding passion directed towards her, and it brought forth another wave of pleasure rippling through her core as aftershocks of the orgasm hit her.

She was trembling and shaking like a leaf as she came down from the largest orgasm she’d ever had in her life when he gracefully flipped them over and thrust into her, resting his weight on his elbow so as to not crush her.

“Fenhedis, ‘ma’lath —” he whimpered, his cock thrusting deeply into her.

He hooked a hand under her knee and pushed back her leg, letting it rest over his shoulder, fingers digging into the back of her thigh strong enough to bruise in an attempt to expose her to him more. The muscles of his back were flexing under her fingers as he thrust himself into her over and over, pulling out almost all of the way before plunging back into her every time.

She felt his teeth on her neck and they slipped into her flesh as easily as a knife through butter. He drank her up greedily as she spilled into his mouth, the pull of his mouth on her neck sending her over again, another orgasm ripping through her, pulling her breath from her chest.

A most feral and animalistic growl rumbled from his throat and she turned her head to give him easier access as he drank her into him, his cock throbbing inside of her as her walls contracted around him, his hips never relenting their frantic pace. Every sound he made, every moan and sigh, was like music to her ears and she would never get tired of hearing it. Though she’d only known him for a short time, she had never expected him to be such a vocal lover.

He pulled away with a growl and slammed into her once, twice, three times, his eyes dark with arousal when he stiffened and came inside her, a guttural groan leaving his lips, his arm still hugging her leg to his chest. He twitched and thrust against her erratically as he orgasmed, her name on his lips, and Ellana pulled him down so their foreheads met.

“Mar rodhe ir’on,” he groaned into her lips as the last of his orgasm spilled into her, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

After a few moments, he pulled out of her delicately and collapsed beside her, chest heaving. His tongue darted out to catch the sanguine fluid that had dribbled out. He pulled her in close and kissed her deeply, their blood mixing together in their mouths, neither of them caring if they made a mess. A sigh of contentment left his lips as he pulled back from the kiss and nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, gently licking up the remnants of blood remaining over the wound that had long since healed over.

The sky beyond the window was starting to lighten to grey with the early signs of dawn when large metallic blinders pulled out and slid down over the windows, startling her with their sudden appearance.

“Ssh, rest,” he whispered to her, placing a chaste kiss to her lips as she settled back into the messy bedding. They were going to have a hell of a time cleaning this up later, she surmised, though with an estate like this she wouldn’t be surprised if he had a cleaning team to take care of it. He rose from the bed, eliciting a whimper from Ellana at the loss of his touch and he smirked back over his shoulder at her as he turned to pull back the heavy curtains of the canopy bed.

“That was…” she started.

“I know, vhenan.”

“Is it always like that?”

Solas settled back into the bed with her and pulled her close into his chest. His skin was so flushed and warm to the touch now, a startling contrast to when she’d first met him.

Rolling onto her side, she buried her face in his shoulder and stretched her arm over his chest. “Is it always like that?” she breathed, drowsiness starting to wash over her. Never before had she felt such overwhelming need to touch someone and be touched in return. She’d been with plenty of men, and even a few women - not being known as the most chaste elf in her circle of friends - but never such a mindless, overpowering arousal.

There was a pause before he answered. “No.” A hand lifted to rub his scalp. “I admit that earlier, I was not forthcoming. When two of our kind share a meal, it creates a bond that only intensifies feelings of lust or love between the pair.”

“So you mean like when we fed together earlier?” she asked, peeking up at him from his shoulder.

“Correct. Though if there is no mutual attraction there to begin with, no bond is created.”

She hummed a response. “I see.” She yawned.

“It was selfish of me to assume,” he whispered into her hair.

She looked up at him fully then and caught her eye, a hand raising up to stroke his cheek. That certainly explained her senseless lust. Not necessarily misplaced however, the man was incredibly alluring and she likely would have thrown herself at him regardless.

“It’s alright, Solas. You didn’t see me complaining, did you?” He was starting to strike her as a very "act first, ask questions later" type of person.

He laughed, his smile lighting up his face as he closed the distance to kiss her. Pulling away, he shifted and buried his face in her neck, nuzzling her fondly. He certainly had a penchant for her neck, she was noticing, her rear end a close second.

“Get some rest, vhenan. You must be exhausted.”

Ellana nodded, her eyes already heavy with sleep, and she finally let it wash over her. She purred happily, more content and well-sated than she had felt in a very long time. After hearing his little confession, she pledged to explore their relationship further. She was determined to see him come undone for her without the influence of bloodlust, curious if she would so easily fall under his magnetic allure. She wanted to tease him, make him fall and go wild for _her_.

Thoughts gradually became heavy with sleep, and the last thing she heard before falling into unconsciousness was the steady rise and fall of his chest and a gentle murmuring of Elvish in her ear that she couldn’t quite make out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you catch all of the Anne Rice references? :D
> 
> Elvish translations courtesy of Project Elvhen:  
> Mar rodhe ir’on - You taste delicious  
> Jutuan ma ir rosas’da’din, ma tel’aman melin - I will make you come so much that you won’t remember your name
> 
> As always I love to hear your thoughts and comments! [Follow me on tumblr](https://nephrae.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> Some dialogue was borrowed from the Trespasser DLC. 
> 
> Elvish translations courtesy of Project Elvhen.
> 
> Ma ane ir ina'lan'ehn - You are so beautiful  
> Fen'Harel ma ghilana - Dread wolf guides you
> 
> [Follow me on tumblr](https://nephrae.tumblr.com/) for regular updates!


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